2 Part Epoxy vs. One Part for Garage floor?

Does anyone know the differences between the (far more expensive) 2 part epoxy garage floor paints vs. the less expensive 1 parts(no mixing)? I recently bought a Quikrete 2 part epoxy floor paint kit for my garage. The kits are around $60, but you can't buy the paint alone! I needed 3 more gallons and would have had to buy 3 more kits. SO, I saw right NEXT to the Quikrete kit, a product also made by Quikrete called "seal-krete" for garage floors and other concrete surfaces. It claims to be "one part epoxy" and makes very similar claims about durability, heat resistance, etc. This paint sells for $25/gallon. So, I bought the closest color match and have almost finished the floor. I painted over the remaining "good" epoxy paint after it had cured for about 12 hours (hope the new stuff sticks OK).

Admittedly, it seems the two part was thicker, glossier, etc. Interestingly enough it also didn't cover nearly as much space per gallon as the cheaper paint did. I just wonder how the MFG can make nearly the same claims about these two different types of paint. How does the epoxy even work in a 1 part kit? I always thought epoxy required "activation" as in the 2 part kits. Any ideas/experience on this would be appreciated. Thank you!

Reply to
techshare26
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You would have been happier with the 2 part epoxy paint. Too bad you were too cheap to use it. In short, it can't be epoxy if you don't have an activator to mix in to it. Epoxy paints harden via chemical reaction, they don't "dry".

That said, I painted my garage floor with regular oil-base "porch and floor" paint years ago before this epoxy paint became all the rage. It held up well to foot traffic and some types of damage. Snowblower chains and hot-tire pickup have been a problem though. It will make you a nice floor, it just won't be as durable as epoxy.

Reply to
J.A. Michel

The two part is more durable and a better choice for a garage floor. Of course there are some better and some worse of both types and the most important thing with either is the prep work. If you don't do the prep right, you are wasting your time and money with either type.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

. Thank you!

I have used both kinds, by different companies. My honest opinion is that they all suck. I spent two days preping one garage with a two part epoxy, the client was in Europe for a month. and when they returned, they got tire pick up on the floor. If you have the bucks, put down carpet - the comercial washable kind. Never had a call back on that install...

Reply to
casey

I would have to suggest, that while you spent the time on prep, something was not right. Maybe the prep, maybe the product maybe the application. It is clear from my personal experience and the experience of many others here, that done right with the right product there is no tyre pickup problems.

I wonder if there could have been some sort of problem with the concrete. I have seen the recommendation not to use it on concrete that is not fully cured. How old was that concrete when you did the job?

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

NO PAINT OF ANY TYPE holds up well. I think your much better off to never paint a garage floor, and once it fails bite the bullet and strip, power wash or sandblast all the paint off returning it to natural concrete. then seal with thompsons water seal or ssomething similiar. so goo cant get into the concrete.

they also have big rubber sheets that are rolled over the floor.

paint is just a continius maintence chore.

just like painting cement block or worse yet brick its a terrible idea...

Reply to
hallerb

I woould not buy anyo of the stuff at big box places, they do not have industrial

Have said before: Ben Moore industrial coatings, they make both 1 part and 2 part epoxy, both are good, 2 part is better.

ALWAYS etch, always cured concrete MINIMUM 60 days

Reply to
yourname

OK, I will consider that advice once mine fails. It is about five years old now and still looks great. But if it fails I will try to remember your advice.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Thanks. I think I must not have been clear in the post. What I'm still curious about is all this 1 part 2 part stuff. Here is the data on the cheaper product I used

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The "better" 2 part product is here
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There is roughly a $35 difference in price per gallon between these two products. The more expensive one does include the "kit" which gives you the cleaner/etcher. Of course, you only need a bottle of that to do an entire two car garage. You'll need at least 3 gallons of the paint (unless you know some way to lay it down thinner than I was). Yes, that's around $200 with other materials for a very small garage! This of course includes no labor assuming you are doing it yourself.

My point about all this is that it's quite confusing. If there is such a large difference in price, I'd like to know more details on why? Yes, the two part product "cures" on the crete. The one part "dries" ... or does it "cure"? Honestly, I don't know the answers, and so far the replies I have received seem the like the advertising - lacking specific information about the strengths of the two part over the one part. The only obvious difference I've seen is the glossy thick coat the two part puts down compared to the one part. However, I put down a satin finish for the one part vs. a semi-gloss for the two part. While I'm sure the two part "thickness" is stronger, I have no idea how much better it is actually bonding to the concrete. I guess only time will tell. I plan to call the mfg's on both these products to see if I can get any more specific information. Namely, what the "epoxy" component really is in the one-part product.

Has anyone messed with clear epoxy topcoats over the paint? I'm thinking about it, but again do not know if that would in fact weaken the paint with more than one layer. Another question that pops up is UV resistance. Ironically the more expensive two-part makes no claims about this. I was thinking about using one of the two-part kits to paint my back porch (it's very small), but not sure if the sun would ruin it?

Reply to
techshare26

I agree. The only time painting a garage floor works is if the only thing that's done in a garage is parking a car. But if you do anything else, like repair a car, change your oil, work on your bicycle, drag a washing machine across the floor, run a table saw, etc. it scratches the paint and then looks like hell.

The only time I ever saw painted garage floors look half-decent is when I was visiting my grandparents in Sun City AZ years ago.. All of them have painted floors down there but nobody living there does anything other than park a car and a golf cart in the garage.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

Ted Mittelstaedt wrote: ..

Mine still looks good and I park two cars, work on them, change their oil, work on three bikes (one Honda two peddle powered) and I have a radial arm saw I use in there. I have not moved a washing machine across it however. Maybe it is the washing machine. :-)

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Dont buy consumer products dont buy consumer productsDont buy consumer products dont buy consumer productsDont buy consumer products dont buy consumer productsDont buy consumer products dont buy consumer producDont buy consumer products dont buy consumer productsts

Reply to
yourname

You can get epoxies that are one- or two-part. The two-part cure when the hardener is added to the resin. In an epoxy, the hardener is not a catalyst, it is part of the final epoxy. One-part epoxies are made with the two parts premixed, but require an additional condition to cure. Some, for example, cure in the presence of UV light. Others require heat.

There's nothing on the Seal Krete web site that tells me what kind of curing takes place with the one-part. It could be that there's an inhibitor in the mix that evaporates when it's painted on. Maybe the reaction only works in the presence of oxygen. Maybe it's not a a true epoxy, but a resin that air cures.

As far as why one is more pricey than the other - in general, the better coatings cost more and the more they cost, the better they are. Two-part coatings are almost always more expensive and more durable than one-part. I have two friends in the business, one an epoxy expert (chem. engineer) the other a coatings and adhesives specialist (chemist). I've bugged both about this stuff quite often. They tell me that the higher prices reflect the higher material and manufacturing costs.

That some manufacturers/retailers may rip people off is another issue.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Daly

of the final

takes place with

when it's

it's not a

coatings cost more

the higher

---------------------------

mike is right. I am in the epoxy business. Note that epoxy floors can go from a 1 coat to a 7 coat system (with primers, colored chips, clear topcoats etc.)

paul oman progressive epoxy polymers

Reply to
Paul Oman

replying to Joseph Meehan, Reza wrote: It seems like you have had success with epoxies. What brand did you use. I used the two part from sherman Williams with a thorough cleaning job, and still had the tire pick ups.

Reply to
Reza

replying to Ted Mittelstaedt, Reza wrote: The most effective things that damages a garage epoxy is the heat from tires. If you want a safe garage floor, never park your car inside the garage.

Reply to
Reza

replying to Joseph Meehan, Reza wrote: Wow! what brand and type of epoxy did you use?

Reply to
Reza

13 years later I'd not expect a reply.

Instead of sherman Williams, next time try Sherwin Williams.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Sherman was his brother. He invented a tank made only of paint. The US Army would use it because of it's light weight and great portability.

Reply to
micky

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